Daily Rosary Prayer Tip #4 – Believe

Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.” (Mark 11:24). Yet, in our world of “show me and I’ll believe” many of us struggle to trust that our prayers will be answered. And if we don’t believe that our prayers will be answered, it is unlikely that the idea of “praying with purpose” will have any impact on our commitment to pray the Rosary every day.

Yet the Rosary, in particular, is an incredibly powerful prayer. Graces naturally flow from time spent meditating on the life of Christ, and further graces abound when Our Lady offers her prayers for us. I could write many posts on the blessings I’ve received from praying the Rosary, but I’ll try to keep it short in hopes that you will share your own experiences by commenting below.

When the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, a group of four (some sources say eight) German Jesuit priests who prayed the Rosary daily had just finished celebrating the Mass in the chapel attached to their home. One of the priests was sitting down to breakfast when the A-bomb was detonated just eight blocks away. He experienced a blinding light and loud noise, but received only minor injuries. The chapel was damaged, but the home remained intact. The four priests had no burns, no hearing loss, and no radiation poisoning. Fifteen years later, every other person who was near the explosion had died from some form of cancer. But these priests lived, cancer free, still with no signs of any ill-effects from the explosion. Scientists have no explanation for why these eight men did not suffer the same fate as their neighbors. But the Priests don’t need a scientific explanation. “…We survived because we were living the message of Fatima,” they said. ”We lived and prayed the Rosary daily in that home.” (from wjbpr.com, and shrineofstjude.net)

Most of my personal experiences are much less tangible, with one exception, which I’ve blogged about in the past. Check out “Mary Saved Me from a Traffic Ticket” for this miracle that was very graciously granted to me!

Another time, my family was driving to Alabama when we saw the remnants of a devastating car accident. We knew just from looking that no one could have survived, and learned later that four teenagers had been killed. As we drove away from the troubling scene, we prayed as a family for the souls of the victims and their families, and then I began to pray a Rosary. As I prayed, a stunningly brilliant rainbow appeared. It seemed to be resting just above the left side of the hood of the car, and we could see where both ends touched the ground. It seemed to be a heaven-sent message of reassurance and peace, a reminder of God’s covenant and love. Perhaps everyone who was traveling southbound on I-65 that day experienced that beautiful sight, but I felt that it was an outflowing of blessings from the Rosary prayers that were being sent up from our car.

I could share many more stories of times when I’ve been deeply troubled and found peace, when I’ve been angry and found the ability to forgive, and when I’ve been lost and found guidance. But I’d really love to hear your stories, so please comment on this post with any stories of blessings you’ve received through praying the Rosary.